China’s ceramics industry facing low external demand

[Beijing, China] China's ceramics industry, which produces nearly 70 percent of the world's household ceramic ware, is witnessing a steep fall in profits as export orders continue to decline and stockpile, according to Chinese state media.

The ceramics industry's gross output value edged up from 275 billion yuan ($44 billion) in 2007 to 583 billion yuan ($94 billion) in 2012, registering just a 10 percent average production growth rate, according to China Business News.

Another issue burdening the industry is trade protectionism. Argentina, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and the European Union have all initiated various anti-dumping measures against Chinese ceramic products in the past few years, with Brazil being the latest to join these countries.